The Changing Leisure Service Paradigm

The relative affluence of the 1950's and 1960's spawned a recreation and parks movement that seemed destined to grow endlessly, defining its own agendas along the way. We are being encouraged, if not forced, to change for a number of reasons:

• society simply cannot afford the bill that was also growing
• funds had to be shifted to priorities such as health, social services, education and justice
• related concepts were catching the public imagination and we did not seem to be associated with them (wellness, human potential, quality of life)
• holistic thinking and systems strategy encouraged all organizations to get 'out of the box' and partner around mutually shared outcomes and priorities
• the public appetite to invest in play and pleasure had shifted to a desire to see results that paid dividends to the non-participating taxpayer who had to share the bill.

The following table summarizes the policy and operational shifts that are resulting. Note that we are addressing the need to rebalance our service paradigm to favour the right column, not simply to abandon the traditional roles summarized in the left column.

Shifting FROM

Moving TOWARDS

narrow definitions of recreation, sport, art, culture, parks internal focus on our field professionals serving community independence working alone hoarding resources tolerance of barriers to access public services 'universal' 'flow' and self-actualization government as prime supplier provider role dominant focus on own facilitities facility bound the leisure agenda bureaucratic silos being 'business like' building/manicuring outdoor spaces activity-driven resistance to change

broad concepts of leisure, welllness, human potential and quality of life external, interdisciplinary approaches mobilization of all community resources inter-dependence strategic alliances/partnerships sharing resources champions of accessibility/equity targeting to serve most in need investment in public priorities public sector as 'supplier of last resort' facilitator/community developer shared/full utilization of all facilities creative use of all community spaces support for the benefits agenda integrated/networked acceptance as an industry protecting natural spaces outcome-driven, flexible on means embracing change